It's a Mystery: God Is Outside All Our Boxes

By Jane Brister

From special dreams in a dialogue between an angel and a young boy, this story plays out in a fanciful way that resembles a storybook. Through some interesting encounters between Angel Antonio and a young child, Jacob, the dream conversations lead to unexpected drama as Jacob and his playground friend Sammy become totally involved in some unusual adventures. As young Jacob relays what his angel friend reveals about many of the secrets and mysteries of the Christian faith, Sammy is quite intrigued. Each day on the school playground, young Sammy can hardly wait for recess, to catch the next episode.

As Jacob and Sammy grow into young adults, their professions take them into some unique situations, as they maintain a stable schedule for their continued work activities. Their occupations involve interesting times beyond their wildest dreams. In later years, they seem to be able to turn some of the sadness in their lives into triumphant living. Both of these gentlemen believed that for the Christian, death is the ultimate out-of-the-box experience!

Its a Mystery is a delightful read, tracing the guidance and goodness of God in developing lives. I especially enjoyed the adult years with Dr. J and Sammy, and the interweaving of life challenges and developments with Scripture. You will appreciate this book.
Dr. Steve Wende, senior pastor, First Methodist Houston

This spiritual coming of age story follows Jacob from a fortuitous playground encounter at age 7 through a busy and productive life. It contains apropos Biblical, philosophical, and other quotations.
Robin Moore, CEO East Texas Community Health Services, Inc.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490814704

Jane Brister

From writing short stories and poems in the fourth grade, the Author continues writing. Born in the deep South, she was privileged to be exposed to different writing themes. After a public school career as a teacher/counselor, she now enjoys retirement with six grandchildren. Her continued fascination with the mysteries of the Christian faith has found expression in IT’S A MYSTERY.

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Copyright © 2013 Jane Brister.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-1471-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1472-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1470-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013920230

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/26/2013

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1   Playground Theology

Chapter 2   Youth and Theology

Chapter 3   Early Adult Theology

Chapter 4   Adult Thinking and Theology

Chapter 5   Back Down to Earth for Everyday Living

Epilogue

Translations of John 3:16

Bibliography

About the Author

A portion of proceeds will be given to the American Bible Society, New Opportunities for Romanian Orphaned Children (NOROC), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and World Vision.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

—Isaiah 55:8–9

This book is dedicated to the Glory of God.

Acknowledgments

Much gratitude to the following people for their valuable assistance: Amie Morton, my production and technical coordinator; Josh Brister, Johnny Brown, Kristi Hachtel, Sara Fant, and Sandra Smith for their technical support; Dr. Olin Newton, Heidi Bowington, Elsie Campbell, and Dr. Ping-Ting Lan for their language translations; Pastor Steve Newton for allowing me to quote from his sermons; and my husband, Dr. Frank L. Brister Jr., for editing and lending me general support. Many thanks to the family of Monsignor Bob Guste for their permission to quote from his books Katrina, Rita and God and Love’s The Message That I Heard. Thanks to the Presbyterian Women of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nacogdoches, Texas, for their collective memories of the proverbs on Mr. Fleming’s wall plaque, which were passed down from generation to generation. (Smart phones were also helpful.) And thanks to my family and friends for their encouragement throughout this project.

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

—Hebrews 13:20–21

Preface

At a very young age, I was blessed to hear the stories of Jesus from a gifted storyteller in vacation Bible school, and over the years, I was privileged to have excellent Sunday school teachers who also made a special impact on my spiritual growth. My belief system was formed not from theological study, but from hearing Bible stories in my early childhood, an impressionable time of life. In later life, other sources were liberating, such as the proposals of C. S. Lewis in his wonderful book Mere Christianity, and even the poet William Wordsworth, whose immortal poem Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood states that

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

This book is intended for all human beings who are interested in life on Earth and life in heaven after death. It simplifies Christian theology through the eyes of children with the use of fictitious characters. The dialogue is appropriate for all ages. Quotations from real authors are denoted in the text by an asterisk following the author’s name.

May God bless all readers. Enjoy the mysteries of the Christian faith.

"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God